Darkness I Became
by bjames238
Summary: Losing someone close to us in our lives changes us - for better or for worse. The aftermath of Hope's birth is a disaster. The world believes that Hope Mikaelson and her mother Hayley Marshall are dead . . . but what's the real truth? What follows their supposed deaths will shift everything they've ever known - especially for Hayley who believes she's lost everything.
1. Prologue: Cannot Be Undone

Author's notes:

Okay so this is an idea I've been working on for The Originals. It deviates from the season 1 finale and goes in a bit of a different direction from there. The title for the story comes from Florence + the Machine's "Cosmic Love" and the lyrics at the beginning of the story from Florence + the Machine's "Seven Devils".

Prologue: Cannot Be Undone

 _They can keep me out_

 _'Til I tears the walls`_

 _'Til I take your heart_

 _And to take your soul_

 _For what has been done_

 _Cannot be undone_

 _In the evil's heart_

 _In the evil's soul_

"NOOOO!" Klaus roared, straining against the invisible bonds of the witch's holds on him. He was forced to watch uselessly as the little Deveroux bitch sliced the dagger unceremoniously across the neck of the woman who just gave birth to his daughter. The baby in question howled in Hayley's lap just as Genevieve swiftly scooped the child from her mother's dead arms.

Silence vacuumed the space around him as the shock set it. The words the witches spoke after became meaningless, soundless. He could only watch as Genevieve carried his daughter away and a pair of male witches followed behind everyone else carrying Hayley's corpse. He may have been screaming, but he couldn't be sure. The silence was deafening.

With a flick of the young Deveroux witch's wrist, his neck snapped and he was out before he hit the church floor.

The sound of the doors bursting open were the first thing he registered as he came back to life.

"Hayley!"

He groaned, clutching his neck. He growled out loud as the events leading up flashed through his mind. "She's gone . . ." He breathed deeply and painfully as his spine healed itself.

He felt a force grab him by the lapels of his jacket and slam him against the wall. Elijah's eyes bore into his. Fury radiated off the elder Originals in waves. "Where is she." The words were spoken calmly but Klaus knew his brother was anything but.

Klaus gasped for air, the scent of blood burning his nostrils. "T-The witches . . . they took her. She's not . . ." He closed his eyes and he could see it all again – the blood bubbling from Hayley's neck, their daughter's furious cries, the witches triumphant smiles . . .

"And the child?" Elijah's voice cracked.

"They're going to sacrifice her . . ." Klaus's strength was beginning to return but he couldn't shake Elijah's death grip.

"The cemetery." Elijah's hand released and Klaus dropped to the floor. "They'll perform the ritual there."

The two brothers left the church without another word or thought, determined to save the child where they'd failed her mother.

OGOGOGOGOGOGOGOGOGOG

She stumbled along the alleyways in the dark corners of a surprisingly quiet Bourbon Street. Her gums throbbed, confusion settled in her bones, and her heart ached for the baby daughter she'd only had mere moments with.

Hayley bit back tears, a desperate determination taking over. She had to get to her daughter. She had to find her little girl and tear those witch-bitches to a million pieces. Nothing else mattered to her right now.

Thankfully she didn't encounter anyone on her way through the dark streets but that was probably better right now, considering the rage coursing through her veins. She wasn't strong enough to face any enemies nor could she explain to a human why she was covered in her own blood but had no injuries. Not to mention the vague taste of sweet blood on her lips . . .

When she'd first awoken (strung out in a ditch on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere) she'd been able to sense her daughter's presence – almost like they were linked. It drew her back to the city even though she had no idea where she was.

The link felt weaker now, though. She'd also discovered fangs in her mouth and her pulse was gone. She was a hybrid – something she'd never ever wanted to be. She wasn't sure how she'd finished the transition – though there had been blood on her lips when she woke up. She'd heard Elijah and Klaus discuss the process of hybrid transitions and she herself had witnessed one when Tyler kidnapped her. Before that she'd heard from Tyler and the other hybrids she'd helped before and after she went to Mystic Falls. It didn't quite make sense that she'd completed the transition – wouldn't it have had to be her daughter's blood that would finish the transition? Although since she awoke in transition anyway it had to mean that carrying her daughter meant that they shared blood – so her daughter's blood _was_ in her system when she died. Did that mean that ingesting her own blood after her throat had been slit (that still had her daughter's in it) when she awoke completed the transition? The thought alone gave her a headache.

A sight on the side of a building up ahead caught her eye – she felt drawn to it. There were hundreds of photos tacked on the wall and pictures of people, flowers, and candles scattered on the sidewalk in front of it – words and phrases everywhere. A few of the printed faces were vaguely familiar – some the vampires from Marcel's crew? The phrase ' we will always remember' was drawn above all the images on the brick wall.

Were these all the people who'd died at the hands of the witches and Francesca's pack?

A gasp escaped her lips as a framed image branded itself into her mind . . . the carved framing, the image of an infant angel . . . in memoriam baby Mikaelson and her beloved mother . . .

A strangled cry released itself from her lips and she sank to her knees. Was she too late? Had the witches already . . . no . . .

Despite the fact that all of her strength was gone, she found her legs carrying her toward the Mikaelson compound. She had to know if it was true. She had to find Klaus and Elijah – surely they would know the truth.

She could hear voices from within . . . was it Klaus and Cami?

 _"Klaus?!"_ Cami was crying. _"The baby?"_

From the outside Hayley tensed, her entire body frozen.

 _"She died."_ Klaus's voice cracked and Hayley's heart broke in two. _"A few hours after the Guerrera attack . . . A-and Hayley too . . ."_

All of the air around Hayley closed in on her. She was too late. Her daughter was dead . . . Tears streamed down her face. The precious life that she'd carried in her womb for nine months was gone – the witches had won. She couldn't even process the fact that they thought she was dead too . . .

She stumbled her way away from the compound, away from the Mikaelsons, and away from New Orleans . . . intending never to return . . .

 _to be continued . . ._


	2. Chapter 1: Stuck In The Dark

Author's note: Okay so the prologue ended on quite the doozy so here's a bit of a lighter chapter and a taste of this story is really about. The chapter title comes from the song "Flashlight" by Jessie J from Pitch Perfect 2. Not only do I love that song and movie, but I think this song really resonates with Hayley and where she's going in this story. Hope you enjoy :)

Chapter One: Stuck In The Dark

Three years later . . .

"Miss Hayley?"

The werewolf – no, hybrid – in question looked up from the map she'd been studying. A little girl of six stood next to her, tugging on the sleeve of her elbow. The young girl had a full head of bright red hair, freckles on her cheeks, and a stuffed puppy in her arms. She knew this girl and her mother – the seer who was also her close friend and the only family she had in this cruel, cruel, world. Sure there was a whole camp of werewolves that she was technically responsible for and cared for as a leader cares for her people. Erin and her mother, however, were family.

"Miss Hayley, my mommy wants to see you." The girl told her, tugging on her sleeve again.

Hayley nodded, putting down the pen she'd had in her hand and began to rise from the small stool she'd been sitting on. "Thank you, Erin." She ruffled the young girl's hair, eliciting a giggle from the girl.

"Auntie Hayley, let's go!" Erin pulled on her arm, dragging Hayley out of the small cabin outside. "Mommy promised cookies!"

"Oh boy, then we better hurry." Hayley chuckled, hiding the frown she felt bubbling up. The two of them raced through the camp toward the cabin where Erin and her mother lived.

Hayley felt a small surge of pain reach her heart as she remembered (for the hundredth time that morning already) exactly what day it was. Erin's red hair and pale skin was the exact opposite of what she'd imagined her child to be. With her New Orleans Crescent roots and Klaus's Nordic Viking roots, she'd always thought that their daughter would probably either have dark hair like her or lighter like Klaus and his sister. Her skin was a tad darker thank Klaus's so their daughter would probably be somewhere in between. The brief moments she'd been allowed to hold her daughter were a blessing and a curse all in one.

Her daughter would have been three years old today.

"C'mon auntie!"

"Coming, sweetie." Hayley sighed, pushing the pain back down. There wasn't time for a breakdown right now.

The two entered Erin's cabin where her mother Keara was waiting for them. "Mommy I brought Auntie Hayley is it cookie time?"

Keara laughed, shaking her head. "Yes, little one. They're on the table in the kitchen with a glass of milk."

"Thank you Mommy!"

"You're welcome. Now go eat your snack while your aunt and I have a grown up conversation. Ok?" The girl nodded, letting go of her aunt's hand and racing to the table across the room.

Hayley and Keara sat down on the small couch in the sitting area facing each other. Hayley let out a sigh as Keara watched her. "How are you today, my friend?" Keara regarded her.

Hayley looked away, her head down. Anyone else in the camp, she'd have held her head high and insisted she was fine – even chastising them for crossing a line. With Keara, though . . . She looked back up. "Let's just say it's not a good day."

"I'm so very sorry you've had to endure this. The loss of a child is a special kind of pain – one that does not go away." Keara said. "It is the day of her birth today, is it not?" Hayley nodded, willing the tears away. "You're strong – you know that. You will get through this. How are the cravings?"

As a hybrid, Hayley had had to learn to control the bloodlust she was now cursed with along with the extra violent tendencies that came with being a wolf. Over the last three years, she hadn't always been in control – and that was putting it lightly. While she'd done her share of violence in her days as just a werewolf – even killing – she'd always cringed at the sheer thought of the numbers of bodies the Mikaelsons were responsible for. Thousands of years of murder and unnecessary death . . . and now she was well on her way to just the same thing.

For the last two and half years she'd been lost, drowning her sorrows in blood and booze. The small group of werewolves she'd been running with seemed to follow her lead. They didn't quite trust her but they understood who she was, that she cared for them as a lead cares for their pack, and as a hybrid she had the means of protecting them. So for a while she led them, helped them protect each other, warded them from their enemies – though from a distance, because she never trusted herself around them. They understood how dangerous she could be to them so they kept their distance as well.

Then one day she'd happened along a scared little girl with red hair and her equally scared seer mother being attacked by vampires – and something had snapped in her. She saved the little girl and her mom – and then they saved her. Ever since Keara had been helping her get control of the bloodlust within her and managing her ever-constant depression. Having nowhere else to go, Keara and her daughter Erin became a part of Hayley's pack. Everyone in the pack embraced the mother and her child – not to mention the fact that with Keara around, Hayley was less confrontational. Keara became a sister to Hayley and having Erin around her brought her closer to her daughter's memory.

Hayley let out a deep breath. "I just miss her."

"Oh sweetie, of course you do." Keara nodded. "The bond a woman has with her child is unbreakable – she'll always be there with you in your heart." Hayley sniffled, wiping her eye. "That is actually why I wanted to talk to you this late morning."

Hayley froze, looking up from where she'd been staring at the floor.

"I've had a vision," Keara's voice cracked. Hayley's heart beat quicker and she let out a breath. "I didn't think much of it at first – I thought perhaps one of the women in the camp was expecting and I'd picked up a vision from one of them." Keara reached over and held on to Hayley's hand. "Hayley, my sister in this life, I believe that your daughter is alive."

Hayley gasped, her entire body tensing. Her heart constricted, pain spread from there to her entire body. Tears welled in her eyes. "Keara, please – why would you do this to me?" She gasped.

Across the room, Erin looked up from her cookies with a mouth full.

Keara shook her head. "It is true, I know it. I have seen her as clearly as I see you now – I would not lie to you or deceive you. You know this – I owe you my life as well as my own daughter's."

Panic flooded Hayley's system – she hadn't felt this much pain or fear since the night she'd given birth to her daughter in the hands of those damn witches. A ghost of feeling spread throughout her womb and she clutched it as if she were still pregnant.

"Erin please take your cookies and go play in your room, okay?" Keara called across the room. The little girl sensed the tension in the room and immediately did as she was told. Keara scooted closer to Hayley, grabbing hold of the other woman's shoulders. "I know that this is painful and unbelievable but you have to trust me, sister."

"H-how?" Hayley gasped.

"That I did not see." Keara shook her head. "Let me see your phone – the pictures." Hayley pulled out her cell and pulled up the image gallery. Keara pointed at a particular picture. "Yes – that one, you've showed me that one before."

Hayley touched the screen on the picture Keara had pointed out, making the image larger. It was of Hayley when she was still pregnant and one of the Mikaelsons – Rebekah. Actually, it was of the two in the bayou saying goodbye on the day Rebekah had left after the showdown with Klaus. Rebekah had promised that she loved her niece and would always be there for her. "What is it?"

"This woman in the photo – I've seen her too. Hayley, she is with your daughter. Protecting her, I believe." Keara told her. Hayley swallowed – it couldn't be true. Could it? "I saw images of them on the road, in many cities and in many houses. Hayley, your girl is alive. That last image I saw was of a few days ago. I think that something is coming for them, seeking them out to do harm."

Every nerve in Hayley's hybrid body was on edge - pain and hope and happiness and fear hitting her all at once.

"Hayley, you must go back to New Orleans. You have to go back to your daughter." Keara told her.

to be continued . . .


	3. Chapter 2: So Close No Matter How Far

Author's note: Okay, here's a mini-chapter just to get you through to the next update. The chapter title comes from Metallica's "Nothing Else Matters." Hope you enjoy, let me know what you think and/or want to see from future chapters.

Chapter Two: So Close No Matter How Far

A little girl with shock blonde hair toddles across the carpeted room, her eyes busily taking in the still – fairly unfamiliar room around her. She held tightly onto the stuffed animal in her arm – a white wolf puppy she'd had her entire life.

This little girl didn't have a care in the world. She had no idea the evils of the world around her or the bad things that could happen. Or that she specifically was the target for one of the most powerful witches the world has ever known.

"Hope, sweetheart….we need to go!"

The girl – Hope – watched her aunt scramble around her gathering their bags to take out to the car. She wasn't talking much yet – which constantly worried her aunt – but countless specialists, witches, psychologists, and even her brothers told her it was normal. Hope would talk when she was ready.

Hope happily ignored her aunt in favor of continuing to explore the room with her stuffed wolf as she a dozen of times since they'd come to stay at that apartment.

Moments later she was scooped up in the air as her tummy was tickled. "There's my birthday girl!" Hope giggled, twisting on her aunt's arms as the woman tickled her and showered her face with kisses. "You just get cuter and exponentially more adorable every day!" Rebekah laughed.

"No go." Hope shook her head.

Rebekah let out a deep sigh. "Oh bug . . ." Hope's bottom lip popped out. "Hey how about we find an extra special treat for you on the way?"

"No!"

When she did communicate, Hope was extremely stubborn – just like her father. "Love, we have to go. I'm sorry, but there is no other choice. Now, I have all of our things in the car – except you. So let's go, bug."

Tears sprung in Hope's eyes but she didn't say another word as her aunt carried her outside to the car. The routine was the same every time they left a city. Now that Hope was getting older, however, it was getting even more difficult. The young girl wanted a home and everything (or, everyone) that came with it – and Rebekah desperately wanted to give her niece that.

But that was impossible with the witch that was after the young girl.

Their mother – Ester – had returned through the bodies of other witches and was, once again, hell bent on wiping out not only her children (and by extent, all vampires) but her only grandchild as well. Ester and the other witches wanted Hope's power as a part-witch to fuel their own. So . . . Klaus and Elijah had faked Hope's death after Hayley's real death and sent the young newborn off with her aunt Rebekah into hiding. They'd been on the run ever since, jumping from town to town – never staying in one place too long. A witch Rebekah had once known years earlier (and trusted) cloaked them and bound Hope's magic so they couldn't be traced.

Rebekah had only heard from her brothers sporadically over the last three years. The last she'd heard (which was over eight months earlier) was that their father was back as well and working with their mother along with their brothers Kol and Finn (both of which were also in new bodies).

She climbed into the front seat of the car after strapping Hope in her booster seat (with her stuffed wolf, of course). She was just about to drive off when her cell phone rang.

The electronically and mystically secure phone she only used to contact her brothers on.

Quickly she answered it, glancing back at Hope in the back seat. "Hello?"

"Rebekah, it's done."

Her eyes widened. "Elijah?"

"Yes, sister. I'm calling to inform you that it is done – our parents are dead. The witches are no longer a threat." Elijah told her.

"No . . . but how?" Rebekah sputtered.

Elijah let out a very deep breath. "Suffice it to say, it is a _very_ long-winded and complicated story. One I will be more willing to divulge . . . when you and our niece return."

"Do you really mean . . .?" Rebekah gasped.

"Yes, I believe it is long overdue for my sister and our niece to be among family once again." Elijah chuckled.

"Are you sure?" Rebekah raised an eyebrow, glancing back at Hope once more. The young girl was alert as if she knew what was going on.

"Yes, sister—" This voice was Klaus himself. "Bring my daughter home, if you would be so kind."

"I-I will." Rebekah told him. "We can be there in about seventy-two hours."

"Then you best be going, then." Klaus hung up the phone.

Rebekah put her phone back in her pocket. She turned around to where Hope was cuddling her stuffed wolf. "Guess what, bug?"

Hope looked up, her eyes wide with curiosity.

"I just talked to some very special people on the phone who are very anxious to see you." Rebekah told her niece. Hope's head tilted to the side. "They are my brothers, Elijah and NiKlaus. Elijah is your uncle and NiKlaus – he's your daddy. We're going to go home to see them, for good!"

"Mumma?" Hope whispered, cuddling the stuffed wolf to her chest.

Rebekah faltered, heartbroken. How was she supposed to tell her niece that her mother was murdered trying to bring her into this world?

Hope knew that Rebekah was her aunt and not her mother – the blonde Original had made sure of that as the girl grew. Rebekah could never replace Hayley in Hope's life – nor did she want to. Rebekah hadn't told Hope much about her mother (or the supernatural), but the young girl idolized the she-wolf she'd never met.

Hope held the stuffed wolf up – the one given to her by her father the one and only time she'd met him when she was just six months in. The stuffed wolf Hope had later named 'Hayley'. "See Mumma?" Hope asked again.

Rebekah gulped, feeling the slightest of moisture in the corner of her eye. She hadn't always liked Hayley nor did she much care for wolves but Hayley was her friend – a sister of sorts, even.

"Bekah!" Hope sniffled, kicking her small feet.

Rebekah wiped her eye before Hope could see her tears. She let out a breath and turned her attention back to her niece. "I'm so sorry, bug, but . . . Hope, your mother won't be there. When you were born, your mother was hurt and . . . and she didn't get better."

"Mumma . . ." Tears fell from Hope's eyes but she turned her head away from her aunt.

Rebekah sighed and turned back to face the front. She started the car and drove off, away from Madison, Wisconsin and back toward New Orleans. For the next three days, Hope never stopped crying – quietly mourning the loss of the mother she was never allowed to know. Every little cry broke Rebekah's heart all the more.

To Be Continued . . .


	4. 3: I Could Hold You For A Million Years

Author's note: Sorry about the delay, hope this chapter makes up for it a little bit. The chapter title comes from an Adele song that I absolutely adore: "Make You Feel My Love." It fits everything about this chapter and what Hayley's feeling. Enjoy! :)

Chapter Three: I Could Hold You For A Million Years

Sometimes when she was asleep – when she could sleep, that is – the images that submerged from Hayley's subconscious weren't always the stuff of nightmares. Sometimes she could escape into a world where she was still in New Orleans and her baby girl was still alive and they were together. Dealing with the Mikaelsons' hadn't always been ideal even on the best days but Hayley would give anything for Klaus's outbursts, Rebekah's bitchy attitude, or even Elijah's infuriating silence if it only meant being with her daughter.

Keara's confession had rocked her to her very core. Just the slightest chance that her daughter could still be alive was everything to her right now. In fact, it was all that was keeping her together.

Immediately after Keara had told her of her visions, Hayley gathered the pseudo-pack that surrounded her. There simply wasn't any time to waste. If her daughter was still alive she had to know. She'd lost enough time without her daughter the way it was. She told the pack snippets, enough to keep them informed but as little as possible – hell, she hardly knew these people. She told them that there was business she had to take care of out of town, that she wasn't sure if she were returning. Some of them seemed jolted, some like they couldn't wait to be rid of her. She told them that her leaving them didn't mean she cared for them any less or that she'd leave them unprotected. She appointed one of them that she distrusted the least in her absence, giving them a way to contact her if (when) they needed her.

When she was finished with her closing speech, Keara pulled her aside. Her spiritual sister asked for permission for Erin and herself to follow Hayley to New Orleans. That she didn't trust their safety with the pack without Hayley there.

Hayley denied her request.

While nothing would please Hayley more than to have a true ally in the task ahead of her, she valued Keara and Erin's lives far more. The last time she had been in New Orleans it had literally been a war zone where she'd actually been one of the casualties. The thought of losing more people that she cared about was just about enough to send her over the edge.

Instead she told Keara to move on alone, take Erin and get as far away from any magical beings as she could. Oh, and to stay far away from Mystic Falls, Virginia while she was at it. While disappointed, Keara reluctantly agreed. Hayley promised that when it was it was ideal they'd get in touch again. That night, Keara and Erin left after the three of them had dinner together.

The next morning before dawn and before the rest of the pack awoke, Hayley was gone – on her way back to New Orleans.

The trip didn't last long. Being a hybrid, she didn't really need to sleep. For blood, she hit a few seedy bars along the way – luring pretty drunk men into dark corning and compelling them once she'd had her fill. Typically – other than when she was on a ripper binge – she disliked feeding straight from a body. She also still disliked vampires even though it was a part of her nature now. She still considered herself a werewolf – and generally wolves had more standards. So usually she preferred the blood bags in a mug, warmed over the fire method. Fresh blood, however, gave her more strength and sated her hunger more.

She needed all the strength she could muster to face what she'd left behind in New Orleans.

The trip from Rockford, Illinois to New Orleans took her about eighteen hours by car. It would have been less, but the closer she got the more blood stops she had to make to calm her nerves. By the time she drove past the sign that read "Welcome to New Orleans" her own blood in her body was practically boiling. Anticipation hung in the air. Several times on the road, she'd felt something familiar – something she hadn't felt since waking up in the ditch on the night she'd given birth –

She could _feel_ her daughter's presence. Now, more than ever she believed in Keara's vision. As she drove across the country, sometimes it got stronger or lessened but the hours before arriving in New Orleans, it was unbearable. It stirred unexplainable things in her. It made her want to rip apart every body she crossed paths with but at the same time protect and nurture them as well. It was worse than the werewolf – enhanced hormones she'd experienced when she was pregnant. It was worse than the restlessness, rage, and frustration she'd felt before she'd triggered the werewolf curse within her.

She realized as she drove that she couldn't just show up at the Mikaelson compound demanding answers. She'd probably be spotted in town before she could even get there – and who even knew where the Mikaelsons' loyalty lie these days or what they would think of her if she were still alive. Just as well, she couldn't even seek out her old pack. For all she knew, they could still be under Francesca's thumb.

No, it was better to wait and stalk through the streets under the cover of darkness. She'd wait it out on the edge of the bayou, away from prying eyes and ears.

OGOGOGOGOGOGOGOGOGOG

Rebekah kept one hand on the wheel as her other hand reach back to rest on Hope's foot. The young girl had been restless on their drive home. Still grieving after learning of her mother's death, Hope had not stopped crying.

The young girl fought every moment of it, insisting it couldn't be true. Shaking her head and kicking her feet and clutching her wolf toy closer than ever – Hope just simply would not believe that her mother was dead.

It was absolutely heartbreaking.

Rebekah only hoped that meeting her father and uncle as well as other family in New Orleans would lessen Hope's pain. They were close to New Orleans now, only a few twists and turns away. Rebekah let go of Hope's foot and returned her focus to the road.

"Want Mumma" Hope whimpered, kicking the back of Rebekah's seat.

"Hope, please calm down. We'll be home soon and you can be with your daddy and your uncles Elijah and Marcel . . ."

"No!" Hope pouted, still crying. Rebekah sighed.

It was nearing dark and they passed a still car on the side of the highway. The moment they passed the car, Hope froze. Her tears ceased, her eyes widened, and the wolf toy dropped from her hands.

Rebekah glanced back, stunned. What was going on with her niece? "Hope, love, what is it?" The young girl mumbled something that Rebekah didn't catch.

Rebekah pulled the car over on the highway so she could check on the girl. She got out and opened the back door behind hers. Hope was still frozen. Rebekah raised her eyebrow, worried, and leaned in to unbuckle Hope from her booster seat. The moment she was free, Hope scrambled out of the car right under Rebekah.

"Hope what the bloody hell are you doing!?"

Rebekah crawled out of the car and down the hill after her niece. She couldn't use her vampire speed because Hope didn't know about the supernatural yet. The plan was for Rebekah and her siblings to tell Hope together when they were all reunited. They couldn't keep it from her, not with it all around her.

So, she ran at regular human speed. Hope was headed straight for the car they'd passed up the road. Rebekah's internal parental instincts were flaring. What if the person in the car hurt Hope?

"Hope, stop this bloody instant!" Rebekah yelled.

"No!" Hope shouted back, running as fast as her little legs would carry her.

OGOGOGOGOGOGOGOGOG

Hayley drove back out of town to the highways on the outer edge of the bayou. She'd stay there until dark and then scope out the situation in the Quarter.

At first she was going to hide the car in the trees, but that would look even more suspicious so . . . she just pulled over to the side of the highway. If anyone stopped, she'd feign car trouble and say someone was already on the way to help her.

It was almost dark when she pulled out her phone. She thumbed through the photos on it – her with the Mikaelsons, her pregnant belly at different stages of growth, her with Davina, Josh, and Marcel as well as with Eve, Jackson, and others in their pack. Tears fell from her cheeks, thinking back to the brief moments she'd had holding her daughter.

She couldn't even remember what her newborn's face looked like anymore.

And then a car whizzed past her on the road and . . . it was like the world stopped. Hayley gasped for breath, her heart pounding in her chest. What the . . . Her hands shook, a strange feeling starting in her heart and traveling down to her stomach and settling there.

Moments later the car ahead pulled over at the top of the hill. Panic settled in Hayley's bones. Sure, she could take care of herself, but who knew who the owners of this car worked for.

What was she supposed to do?

Just as she was about to start the car and take off, she happened to glance up. Her eyes widened as she realized there was a small little girl running down the hill toward her.

Hayley scrambled out of the car – where were this little girl's parents?

The little girl was young, with shock blonde hair. She wore a purple sweater, a black fluffy skirt, white tights, and black shoes. Hayley would have used her enhanced speed to reach the girl right away, but she didn't want to scare her. Even running to her – as a stranger – might spook her. It didn't take long, however, for the girl to reach her. The little girl could run fast and she didn't even seem that tired.

Hayley knelt down and the little girl launched herself into Hayley's arms. "Hey, it's okay. You're okay, little one." Hayley wrapped her arms around the little girl. The girl buried her face in Hayley's neck. "No one's going to hurt you, I promise."

Hayley gently pried the girl from her neck and sat her on her knee. The girl was crying, but didn't appear to be scared. "Sweetie, where are your parents?" Hayley asked the girl but she didn't say anything. Hayley looked around – the girl had come out of the car ahead so . . . where was the person who had been driving?

"No . . . want you." The girl finally spoke.

Hayley looked around again – on the edge of her enhanced senses she could feel someone watching them.

"Okay . . . let's start small. What's your name, little one?" The hybrid asked.

"Hope." The girl answered, sniffling.

Hayley nodded. "That's a very pretty name, Hope."

"Daddy gave me name." Hope told her, wiping her eyes.

"It sounds like he loves you very much. Where's your daddy now?" Hayley tried.

"No know." Hope shrugged.

"Oh, okay . . ." Hayley let out a breath – this wasn't getting them anywhere. "Hope, who's with you? Where are they now?"

Hope looked around, then pointed to the cluster of trees in the distance behind Hayley. "There, she watchin'."

Hayley turned her head to look – indeed there was the shape of someone behind the trees. But wait, how could Hope's small little eyes see that – Hayley could barely see that. Hayley's senses tingled, the hair standing up at the nape of her neck. And yet, she didn't feel _any_ fear from Hope at all.

The figure in the trees moved, a flash of blonde – and then it, or rather, she – was right behind Hope.

Hayley's eyes widened. "Rebekah?!" Hope saw Rebekah and smiled, still at ease.

"What the bloody hell, you're . . . you're supposed to be . . ." Rebekah stuttered.

"Yeah, well . . . I'm not. I kind of . . . well, changed I guess." Hayley referred to her hybrid status. Rebekah nodded her understanding. "This little one with you?"

Rebekah cleared her throat. "Yeah, actually – sort of. It's, um . . . she's . . ."

It was then that Hayley remembered Keara's vision –

Hayley tensed, looking down at the little girl she held on her knee. Blonde hair, greenish-blue eyes, olive-colored skin – and a tiny crescent-shaped birthmark barely visible on her collarbone . . .

"Hayley, are you okay?" Rebekah stepped forward.

Hope looked back and forth between the two older women. She finally settled on the one holding her. "You name Hayley?!" Hayley jerked her head, snapping from her thoughts. Hope turned to Rebekah, who was smiling and nodding. Joy spread on Hope's face as she sprung Hayley with another crushing hug. "Mommy!"

Hayley gasped again, tears of joy spilling from her eyes as she held the little girl she now knew was her daughter.

"We thought you were dead." Rebekah herself was crying. "Elijah and NiKlaus searched endlessly for you, for your body – they searched the whole bloody Quarter and beyond. We were sure the wi—" She cleared her throat, looking to Hope. Hayley looked up. "NiKlaus watched you die."

"I did." Hayley's voice cracked. "It's a, um . . . it's a long story." She held Hope tighter.

"Yes, that it is." Rebekah sighed. "They gave Hope to me to hide – we've been on the run for a long time."

"Francesca and Genevieve?" Hayley nodded.

"Among others." Rebekah confirmed. "We're actually on our way home now, back to New Orleans. My brothers called to say that it was safe for us to be reunited."

Hope was asleep now, cuddled up in Hayley's arms. Hayley picked her up, standing, and the three of them made their way to Rebekah's car.

"How did you guys know it was me in the car?" Hayley wondered.

"I didn't, Hope did." Rebekah shrugged. "Though I'm not entirely sure that she did, not completely. She is part witch, if only a bit. The last three years . . . it's hard to explain." The blonde let out a breath. "She doesn't know about the supernatural but . . . it's like she can sense things, or feel them at least. When we passed your car, I think she could feel you."

Hayley swallowed. "I felt something too. The night I had her and the witches took her, I could feel her when I woke up in the bayou ditch they dumped me in. I wondered the streets – I saw the memorial on the wall for the both of us. Somehow I found my way to the Compound, where I could hear Klaus telling Cami that the baby and I were dead . . ."

Rebekah stopped, her hand on Hayley's arm. "Why the bloody hell didn't you go inside?"

Hayley shook her head. "I honestly don't know. I've asked myself that question a million times in the last three years. Instead I ran . . ." She sighed. "I felt it, too, when your car passed mine. I could feel her."

"You two must have some kind of bond, some tie or link." Rebekah observed. "When I told her that her mother was dead, she wouldn't believe me. Somehow, she must have been able to feel that you were alive."

"I've felt her on and off over the years – I just always thought it was my grief, and my pain, heightened hybrid emotions – losing my sanity and all that." Hayley confessed.

"And now you're finally reunited." Rebekah smoothed the back of Hope's sweater.

"She's beautiful – more than I could ever have imagined." Hayley breathed in Hope's very scent, taking comfort in the beat of the little one's heart against her own.

"She gets that from you," Rebekah smiled. "Luckily for her." Hayley chuckled. "She has a temper though, sometimes. She knows what she wants, that's for sure. Other than that she's a good little girl. Very wise for her age, I think."

"I've missed so much . . ." Hayley looked away.

"You'll catch up." Rebekah assured her. "She's young enough that she won't remember the years you spent apart."

"Thank you." Hayley turned to look at Rebekah.

"Whatever for?" Rebekah raised an eyebrow.

"You took care of her, you were there for her when I couldn't be." Hayley said.

"Anything for family, you know that – both of you." Rebekah told her.

Hayley gently squeezed Hope closer to herself, a tear falling down her face. "Oh . . ." She sniffled. "I could hold her for a million years."

"Are you coming back with us?" Rebekah asked.

Hayley breathed, thinking of Keara's vision again. "Honestly – that was the plan. You said Klaus and Elijah told you it was safe?"

"Yes." Rebekah nodded. "They've defeated the witches and our parents, apparently."

Hayley paused. "Are you sure it was them on the phone?"

"Well of course it was. They're the only ones who had that number."

The hybrid hugged Hope closer. "Something's wrong."

"What the bloody hell do you mean?" Rebekah started to raise her voice but stopped herself as to not wake the little one in Hayley's arms.

"There's a seer that I know, we've become close in the last three years," Hayley started. She let out a breath. "It's a long story but the reason I came back was because she had a vision – of you and Hope on the run. She told me my daughter was alive and in danger."

"She was." Rebekah nodded. "My mother wanted to use the witches to kill her and take her power as well as kill the rest of us and she brought our father and brothers back to help her. NiKlaus and Elijah and Marcel took care of it, though. It's over."

Hayley shook her head. "Yeah, I don't think that it is. Don't you think that the phone call might have been a trap?"

"Well how do you know you can trust this seer?" Rebekah questioned.

Hope shifted in Hayley's arms – the two older women froze. "Look, I trust her with my life – something's still after Hope." Hayley whispered.

Rebekah sighed, shaking her head. "Even if your seer is right," Rebekah whispered. "What are we supposed to do now? We're this close to New Orleans, someone's bound to find us."

"We need somewhere to regroup – somewhere safe to bring Hope for now until we know what's going on with your brothers." Hayley said.

"Yeah, like where?" Rebekah looked around.

"Have you heard anything about my pack? About Jackson?" Hayley asked.

"NiKlaus and Elijah never mentioned them." Rebekah shrugged.

"We'll find Jackson – he's our only option. If I know him, he's probably hiding somewhere in the bayou." Hayley shifted Hope in her arms.

To Be Continued . . .


	5. Chapter 4: Gallery of Broken Hearts

Author's Notes: Sorry for the delay, life and stuff lol. It's a short update but I just thought I'd post it so there's some kind of update before I finish the next chapter. The chapter title comes from Ingrid Michaelson's "Be Ok". Oh and big thanks to red lightning for the bouncing of ideas for this and the next chapter too. :)

Chapter Four: Gallery of Broken Hearts

Three years, six days, ten hours, and forty-five minutes ago NiKlaus Mikaelson watched in awe from the side wall of the church the witches had him pinned to as the greatest, most precious miracle entered his life – his daughter Hope Andrea Mikaelson. Despite the tragedy and trauma surrounding her birth, Hope was everything he never knew he should have wished for.

It had been far too long since he'd laid eyes on his daughter – she had only been six months old and already so beautiful. Rebekah had been right in saying the child looked like her mother – Hope was the spitting image of the wolf who gave birth to her and was so prematurely ripped from the world.

It killed him to be away from his littlest wolf – he honestly didn't think he'd ever loved anyone with this much sincerity that wasn't himself.

He'd once told Elijah (more than once actually) that love was a vampire's greatest weakness. For a thousand years, Klaus truly believed that all he would ever need in this world was himself – that no one could ever be trusted enough to hold close.

All that changed the day he wandered into the Lockwood house in Mystic Falls to taunt his first hybrid some more and instead found the brunette wolf hiding like a guilty mistress. Over time, Hayley had reflected many of the things he found in himself – mistrust, anger, the will to survive, and most of all . . . loneliness. Scotch (and gin, tequila, and vodka) may have fueled their lust that night but Klaus wasn't naïve enough to believe that he hadn't enjoyed the she-wolf's company before that alcohol and the months that followed after as she carried their child in his home. The moment he lay eyes on his daughter and finally held her in his arms, it was clear how much the littlest wolf and her mother truly meant to him.

None of that mattered now, as it was. Hayley was dead and Klaus was tasked with raising their daughter alone. Forever alone . . . a song that was proving particularly old.

Much had changed in the three years as war raged on among the communities of New Orleans. The town had truly seen dark times, none that could ever truly compare to that of days, years, and centuries past.

None darker, however, than the foe the Mikaelson's, the town, and even the world now faced.

All seemed well in the Mikaelson compound, as it had appeared for months now. Elijah and Klaus, for all public appearance, were the best of brothers. No squabbles about manipulations, petty weaknesses, lack of restraint, or unnecessary violence. No struggle for control – a true democracy in the purest of terms. In fact, every night at precisely eight in the evening every occupant in the compound gathered at the large table in the expansive dining hall and ate the meal that was cooked and brought to them by the serving staff.

Precisely every second Saturday they threw some kind of extravaganza in the courtyard of the compound – most often benefitting one charity or cause or another, other times just simply to enjoy the company of the aligned citizens of the quarter. Everyone cheering and laughing and sharing stories – oh and drinking, of course.

Klaus was absolutely miserable.

Sure, everything appeared well on the surface. Sometimes they even pretended that everything was okay when they knew it wasn't. The reality, however, couldn't be any further from the dreaded blissful nightmare they were forced into. Their words and actions may represent this forced truth, but their thoughts were very well aware of what was really going on.

Speaking of manipulations . . .

So when Klaus watched Elijah dig out the secret, secure, mystical phone they only reserved for contacting Rebekah his very insides were screaming at him. His body was relaxed, jovial even as Elijah dialed and started speaking to their sister.

"Rebekah it's done." Elijah spoke into the phone, his lips just barely twitching with his will against his words.

"Elijah?" Klaus could hear the hesitation in Rebekah's voice. His heart pounded – this was not good, not good at all.

"Yes, sister. I'm calling to inform you that it is done – our parents are dead. The witches are no longer a threat." Elijah swallowed – a single drop of sweat dripping from his forehead despite his otherwise relaxed body language.

"No . . . but how?" Rebekah sputtered. In his head, Klaus smirked – his little sister was truly more intelligent than they ever gave her credit for. Now if only she'd just stay away . . .

Elijah let out a very deep breath. "Suffice it to say, it is a _very_ long-winded and complicated story. One I will be more willing to divulge . . . when you and our niece return." At the word "niece," both Klaus and Elijah stiffened even for the shortest fraction of a second.

"Do you really mean . . .?" Rebekah gasped. And there was that naïve, always-hopeful-and-perhaps-too-trusting little sister they all knew, loved, and most often annoyed by.

"Yes, I believe it is long overdue for my sister and our niece to be among family once again." Elijah chuckled. Oh you bitch, Klaus thought. Really, though, he was seething – if only on the inside.

"Are you sure?" Rebekah paused. Yes Rebekah, don't trust us. Just for once, use your bloody head! Klaus internally screamed at her.

"Yes, sister—" Klaus's hands ripped the phone from Elijah's ear and the words escaped his mouth before he could even think about fighting them. "Bring my daughter home, if you would be so kind."

"I-I will," Rebekah answered. "We can be there in about seventy-two hours."

"Then you best be going, then." Klaus hung up the phone and threw it against the cement wall. Well, there went their only way of contacting Rebekah until she arrived.

The two brothers stared at each other, only their eyes expressing the rage, panic, fear, and uselessness they both could feel from only within.

This was wrong. Disaster was in the air and the tragedy of what was about to transpire was tangibly unbearable.

Klaus and Elijah were well too aware of who else was in the room with them – both physically and mystically – when that call took place. The severity of the situation, however, was well past the fact that the secret the two of them with Rebekah had been fighting tooth and nail for three years to keep from the rest of the world was now very out in the open.

Oh no, it was much worse than that.

A week and a half later when Rebekah had still not arrived with Hope (even though she'd said it would only be three days) the current shit-storm they were already in was about to get worse.

OGOGOGOGOGOGOGOGOG

As it turned out, finding Jackson or any of her pack was proving to be a lot more difficult than Hayley thought it would be. Also, traveling on foot in the bayou with a three-year-old wasn't the greatest idea either.

Although the thousand-year-old Original vampire seemed to have more outbursts than her niece.

In the many moments when Rebekah complained about her shoes being ruined, her hair frizzing out, or the sun not being good for her complexion Hayley understood why it was that werewolves were better suited for the outdoors than vampires.

"Is there somewhere else you think Jackson could be hiding out?" Rebekah swatted at a mosquito and hefted the large backpack she had strapped on her back.

"I'm just not too sure. It's been a while since I've been out here and the last time I was here I didn't exactly go exploring too much. With the large stomach, sore back and feet, and occasional habit of falling asleep in strange places, I just never really got around to it." Hayley drawled, rubbing soft, gentle circles on Hope's back as the toddler slept in her arms as they trudged through the woods.

"Fair enough." Rebekah rolled her eyes, letting out a breath. "We should probably find somewhere to stop and rest for a bit soon. Usually when Hope wakes from a nap she's hungry."

"I think we're almost out of food," Hayley told her. In the past few days, they'd stopped at several small towns and stores along the way to find food, clothing and other essentials for Hope. The two of them didn't need to eat food, but they did have to find a good blood supply to pack with them.

"We'll give her what's left when she wakes and stop at the next rest stop." Rebekah suggested. Hayley nodded. "You really think my brothers intended to lead me into a trap?"

"I never said that." Hayley shook her head. "I only think that the danger to Hope isn't gone – that they may not even know about it yet."

"It's hard to imagine someone getting the upper hand on an Original, let alone two." Rebekah let out a breath. "After all, who could be worse than our parents?"

"Touché." Hayley agreed. "All I know is that Keara's visions have never been wrong and I trust her if she says there's someone after my daughter. If we could just find Jack, I know he'd be able to rally what's left of the pack to help and defend us."

"Okay, question and don't hate me for saying it," Rebekah held up her free hand in surrender. "How do we know it's not the werewolves that are after Hope in the first place? She is the daughter of an Original vampire, a hybrid no less."

"No," Hayley said without hesitation. "She may be Klaus's daughter, but she's also mine. She's a Crescent wolf – one of their own. Wolves don't attack one of their own, especially a child – the last of the bloodline – of an Alpha they believe is dead. That makes Hope royalty to them, even with the vampire and witch sides of her."

"I just had to say it." Rebekah shrugged. "We have no idea what we're dealing with – neither of us has even stepped foot in New Orleans in three years."

"Don't remind me." Hayley mumbled, well aware that Rebekah could hear her.

The two were quiet for a while as they walked, the only sounds other than the forest were the occasional snore or cough from the little girl in her arms. It still marveled Hayley that she was actually holding her daughter. It was like a dream come true, even with all the danger that still surrounded them. Now that she'd found Hope, she never wanted to let her go.

Hope truly was the perfect name for her little girl.

"Hope told me that her dad named her," Hayley spoke up. "Is that true?"

"It sure is," Rebekah nodded. "The day that Hope was born and the day that you . . ." The Original trailed off. "Klaus himself called me and told me what happened – that the baby had been born but she was in great danger from the witches and some of the werewolves. That it would be safer if the world believed his child was as gone from it as her mother. We met out here in the bayou, not far from where we found you that day Agnes's witches attacked you." Rebekah reached over to push a stray strand of hair from Hope's face. "I pulled up just after dark and Klaus was standing by the car, a white bundle in his arms. I could see just in those few moments just how much he loved her. And . . . he forgave me for everything that happened in the past, telling me that there wasn't anyone he trusted with her more than me."

"I'm glad that you two could share that," Hayley nodded. "And I may not agree with your brother on much, but you were the perfect person to care for and protect our daughter."

The two locked eyes and both of them tensed. They could both feel it – there was someone watching them. Someone supernatural.

"Take the baby." Hayley pushed Hope into Rebekah's arms and took off in a blur. Rebekah let the bags in her hands drop as she grabbed hold of her niece.

Hayley sped through the bayou woods, allowing her senses to take over and chase whoever was following them. She wasn't just protecting herself anymore, she had to protect her daughter now too.

To Be Continued . . .


	6. Chapter 5: We're Not Broken, Just Bent

Chapter Five: We're Not Broken, Just Bent

Author's note: I'm really excited by the response to this and happy that people are enjoying this! This fic is becoming so much more than I originally came up with but I love it and I can't wait for you guys to see where it goes. And I know we really want Klaus and Hayley to reunite but it might take a bit – both of them are a little occupied at the moment. Once again thanks to red lightning – a wonderful muse I had not expected! Also there are a few new characters in this chapter that may look familiar from the show but appear in here a little differently. The chapter title and lyrics from the beginning come from the song "Just Give Me A Reason" by Pink/Nate Reuss

" _Just give me a reason_

 _Just a little bit's enough_

 _Just a second we're not broken just bent_

 _And we can learn to love again_

 _It's in the stars_

 _It's been written in the scars on our hearts_

 _We're not broken just bent_

 _And we can learn to love again. . ."_

Rebekah rocked Hope up and down in her arms, attempting to quiet the child who was now crying. "Ssshh. It's alright, Bug." She looked around, keeping her eyes peeled for Hayley what or who was chasing them. As Hayley took off, she'd transformed into her wolf form. Rebekah saw neither Hayley's wolf nor their attacker – the only option was to get out of there and trust that Hayley could hold her own.

"Momma!" Hope whimpered, her little eyes frantically scanning the unfamiliar forest around her.

"She'll be right back, okay? In the meantime we must be very, very quiet." Rebekah held the girl close, reaching down to grab hold of the bags. "Now close your eyes and hold on tight. Aunty Bex must get us out of here." The Original let out a breath and used her vampire speed to race around the forest, hoping to lose the trail of whoever was after them.

"Too fast . . ." Hope held on tighter to her aunt.

"Hold on tight, Bug." Rebekah told the girl who was beginning to whimper. "Don't worry, love – we'll reunite with your mom soon. I just need you to be brave, okay? We just need to get far away from here and find your mom."

"Okay." Hope nodded, wrapping her arms around her aunt's neck.

Rebekah continued speeding through the forest, keeping her senses on high alert. She darted in and out of the forest, back and forth, in no certain pattern – hoping to lose the attacker and keep her niece out of harm's way.

And then the scenery changed and she had no idea where she was or how she'd gotten there. She stopped suddenly, panting as the bags dropped to the ground again.

What the bloody hell?

She'd stopped by a pond that fed into a larger lake. She'd never been to this part of the bayou – nor did she know how she'd gotten there. She adjusted Hope on her hip – the girl was looking around and all fear Rebekah had felt from her while they'd been chased was gone.

The Original turned around – there was a small cabin a few feet away from the water's edge. Smoke billowed from a narrow chimney, fresh footprints covered the ground, and light shone through the one window of the cabin.

Rebekah looked to Hope again, raising an eyebrow. The young girl said nothing, now watching the door of the cabin.

Rebekah watched as the door began to open. She tensed, ready to run or defend herself and her niece from whoever exited –

Two figures stepped out, two women. One younger-looking woman with long blonde hair holding what looked like a steaming bowl and rock in her hands and an older-looking woman with greyish-white hair holding a large shotgun.

Rebekah froze, unsure if the women were friend or foe. She swallowed and her hold on Hope tightened.

"Quick, you must come inside!" The younger woman spoke as the two came toward the Original and the child. The older woman relaxed her hold on the gun and nodded.

"Who the bloody hell are you?!" Rebekah shouted.

"Hush, child." The older woman. "Less talking, more moving. There isn't much time."

"Go in, Aunty Bex." Hope whined.

"As the child says, let's hurry." The younger blonde said.

"Not until you tell me who the bloody hell you are!" Rebekah shook her head, getting ready to run.

"It would be easier to show you." The younger blonde was next to her in a moment and had her hands on either side of Rebekah's head before she could run off. Rebekah's hold on Hope tightened – she wouldn't let them take the girl.

"No!" Rebekah cried out, white light filling her eyes. She saw images of her mother when she was younger and her older brother Finn as a child. There was also a dark haired woman and a young blonde girl she didn't recognize.

Her mother, Finn, and the young girl were crying. The dark haired woman had anger in her eyes as she pulled the young girl from Ester's grasp. Ester was yelling out to not take the girl away, to not take her Freya from her, pleading with the dark haired woman – calling her Dahlia and sister . . .

Rebekah gasped, Freya – she knew that name . . .

Back in the images in her head, she saw the young girl – Freya - with the woman her mother called Dahlia in a forest, hands clasped and chanting as light enveloped them. Next she saw the blonde woman from the bayou crying, dressed in old-world clothes as the woman named Dahlia stood nearby.

Rebekah gasped again, blinded by the harsh light of the bayou danced in her eyes. Hope wasn't in her arms anymore. In fact, they weren't even outside anymore. She was laying on a bed, staring at a wooden ceiling as the moonlight poured in through the window.

Panic overtook her – where was her niece?

"Hope!" She sat up, her head still spinning.

"Quiet, child."

Rebekah turned her head – it was the older woman from before. "Where the bloody hell is my niece?!"

"Aunty Bex." Hope entered through a door beside the bed. The toddler appeared unharmed, calm, and happy to see her aunt awake.

Rebekah scrambled to her feet and knelt down beside Hope. "Bug!" She wrapped her arms around the little girl. "Are you okay? Did they hurt you?"

"No." Hope shook her head.

Rebekah stood up, picking Hope up and holding her on her hip. "Come, love, we're getting out of here."

"I'm afraid that isn't possible, sweetie." The older woman told her calmly.

"Like hell!" Rebekah shouted. "Do you really think you can take an Original?"

"Probably not." The older woman admitted, shrugging. "But she can – and she already has."

The younger blonde woman entered the room from outside, carrying a pile of wood in her arms. She set the wood on a pile beside the fireplace. "Dear sister, you're not planning on leaving already are you?"

Rebekah bristled. "Sister? Who the bloody hell do you think you are?"

"You saw the vision I gave you," The blonde woman simply said. "You saw our mother Ester and our dear brother Finn." Rebekah didn't say anything – she didn't know what to say. "That's right – I am your elder sister. My name is Freya."

"No, but Freya . . ." Rebekah swallowed. "Mother said she died of the plague."

"Ester had a horrible habit of lying – as you well know. She let her sister Dahlia take me from her." Freya sat down in a chair near a table by the door. "Do sit, we'll be here for quite a while."

Rebekah shook her head. "Even if you are my sister, it doesn't change the fact that I have to go. I need to fin—"

"Hope's mother is fine, I assure you. She'll be on her way here soon. We were surprised to learn she's alive – we were told she died the day the child was born." The older woman told her. Rebekah just stared at her. "Let me introduce myself – my name is Mary. I believe you've met my grandson, Jackson."

"Yes - Hope's mother was not something we were expecting." Freya said. "When we learned that our brothers were forced to lure you back with the child, we knew we had to find you first. This is all the better – Hayley will be an asset to our cause, an advantage. She is a hybrid now, is she not?" Rebekah was silent – which gave Freya her answer anyway.

"And I'm supposed to believe that a witch and a werewolf just live together in the middle of the bayou?" Rebekah retorted.

"It's true that our species haven't always gotten along." Freya nodded. "In times of war, however, allies have to be made."

"Times of war." Rebekah echoed, staring back and forth between the two women.

"There'll be time enough for stories later. Right now, you need just the facts."

"Mary is right." Freya nodded. "New Orleans is a very dangerous place right now – for all species. I'm afraid our brothers are caught in the middle of that."

"I just talked to them – everything seemed fine." Rebekah shook her head. She still couldn't believe that anyone would be able to get the best of her brothers.

"The very fact that they called you at all shows that something is very wrong." Freya let out a breath.

"And what would you know of _my_ brothers?" Rebekah huffed, letting Hope down to the bed. She herself stayed standing, her arms crossed defensively.

"More than you could know." Freya simply replied. "When I met our brothers they were in the middle of defending themselves against our parents. Ester wished to eradicate you all from your vampire bodies and put you in human replacements – her way of righting her wrongs against the balance of nature."

"I already knew this." Rebekah said.

"She also brought our brothers back with her – Finn and Kol." Freya told her. "Our father, however, was brought back by a young witch – Davina."

"Why the bloody hell did she do that?" Rebekah raised an eyebrow.

"To get rid of Klaus." Freya answered. "He in turn broke Davina's control of him and teamed up with Ester and Finn. Kol has since remained loyal to Davina – the two have been quite close."

"He always was a fool for a pretty girl." Rebekah rolled her eyes. "So you're saying that our parents are still alive – Elijah said they weren't a threat anymore."

"Oh they're not." Mary chimed in, chuckling.

"Yes . . . Klaus staked our father with the white oak," Rebekah detected a bit of bitterness in Freya's voice. "Ester was turned into a vampire – and then I killed her."

"And what of our bore of a brother, Finn?" Rebekah thought perhaps he was the one after Hope now – to punish his siblings for killing his beloved parents. Not that she trusted Freya yet or Mary but she was willing to give her sister a chance – for now anyway.

"Oh he's safely tucked away – he was quite bitter about mother's death." Freya fiddled with the charm of her necklace.

"Of course." Rebekah sniggered.

"When he's ready he'll return, ready to be on the right side." Freya finished, her hand dropping from the necklace.

"All this doesn't explain why my brothers lied or what threatens my niece." Rebekah paced in front of the bed where Hope was now asleep.

"As I showed you, Ester's sister took me when I was just a child." Freya said. Rebekah nodded. "Dahlia was a vile woman, more powerful than Ester could have dreamed of being. She wanted my magic to fuel hers. Power was her drug – and she could never get enough."

Rebekah sat down, pulling a blanket over the toddler's sleeping form. "Hope's part witch . . ." She let out a breath. ". . . and a first born, just like you."

"It was Dahlia's condition to helping Ester and Mikael conceive – the first born of every generation." Freya nodded. "And when Ester turned her children into barren vampires, the burden fell on me – until Hope was born three years ago. She's been searching for her for two of those years."

"Dahlia's controlling our brothers." Rebekah guessed. "They called to get me to bring Hope back – for Dahlia."

"And most everyone else in New Orleans too." Mary spoke. "She took over the witches, then the humans, then the vampires, and finally the wolves."

"She's using them as her soldiers, on the lookout for Hope." Freya said.

Rebekah tensed, reaching her arms toward Hope. "And how do I know you two aren't her soldiers as well?"

"Oh we're not." Mary simply said. "There's a few of us that barely manage to keep out of her eye."

"I've spelled this cabin, cloaking it from her many eyes and ears." Freya said. "It's worked for now – but it won't last much longer."

"So fight." Rebekah still wasn't altogether convinced about all of this. "Gather whatever numbers you have and fight her."

"Easier said than done, sugar." Mary chuckled.

"Yes . . . those under her control aren't just her eyes and ears – she's feeding off of them as well." Freya said.

"Well how many do you have?" Rebekah said.

"Well under a dozen. They'll be back in a bit." Mary replied. "Besides us - my grandson Jackson, a vampire named Josh, a werewolf named Aiden, a human named Camille, a witch named Vincent and—"

"Marcel!" Rebekah's eyes widened as the vampire in question entered the cabin, followed by Jackson carrying an unconscious Hayley covered in a coat.

OGOGOGOGOGOGOGOGOG

The mood around the Mikaelson compound was, well . . . tense didn't really cover it. When Rebekah had not showed up with Hope, Dahlia had flown into a rage. The thousand-year-old witch was finally going to get what she had been promised . . . but the female Original had failed to return to the city with the child.

All that power . . . just out of reach.

Elijah could only stand back and watch as Dahlia expressed her rage through Klaus. His hybrid brother was currently downstairs – throwing chairs, smashing tables, breaking glass . . . the sound of which rivaled the funeral parade passing through outside. At present Elijah was just outside the door of his room, leaning over the balcony that overlooked the courtyard below where Klaus was having his fit.

"Lover, come back to bed . . ." A silken voice shaded with sleep called behind him.

He'd roused some hours before, dressing in just his suit trousers and leaving his bedmate to her slumber after a rather rugged few rounds of worshipping each other. For while Dahlia was controlling them all, they still had lives to live.

"In a moment." He answered, still watching Klaus.

His lover groaned in annoyance and he could hear her roll around in the bed. "Babe . . . I can hear you worrying from here – in our bed, where my naked body is just waiting for yours . . ."

His body twitched at her words, focused on worrying about his brother but not immune to the effect her words had on him. She'd always been his weakness – even when they were apart. Five hundred years and her very voice was his undoing . . .

He watched his brother tip over a table and scream and then his heart got the best of him and he turned around to reenter their room. She'd thrown the blankets she'd been tangled up in off, exposing herself completely to him. His eyes scanned every inch of open skin, appreciating her olive skin on their dark eggplant sheets.

"I'm sure Rebekah will arrive soon enough with the child, 'Lijah. She always did like to make a grand entrance."

Elijah let out a sigh, sitting down on the bed beside her and resting his hand on her inner thigh. He wanted to say that he'd rather Rebekah stayed away, if only to protect their niece from the oncoming danger. What flew out of his mouth, however, was a different story. "Yes . . . the spoiled younger sibling . . . I grow tired of her inability to follow simple instructions."

The slightest spark in her eye showed that she knew that wasn't what he wanted to say. She knew him too well for that. What he really grew tired of was all this puppet mastery . . . none of them were in control of their bodies or actions. And once Rebekah and Hope arrived, they'd suffer the same fate. Other than the current tantrums downstairs, the "peace" of the last year under Dahlia's control was a cruel farce.

They'd lost . . . in focusing on defeating their parents and eldest sibling they'd opened themselves to the vulnerabilities that allowed Dahlia to plant her venomous roots in their minds. Many of their number were missing – Marcel, Josh and his werewolf lover Aiden, Jackson and his grandmother Mary, Camille, a Tremé witch named Vincent, and their long lost elder sister Freya. Were they still alive? Did Dahlia kill them or put them somewhere? Did they escape? They had no idea.

"Elijah . . ." He snapped from his thoughts, shaking his head. "Hey, come back to me."

"I apologize, Katerina." He lay back on the bed, wrapping his arm around her as she leaned into his chest. He remembered the day she returned to him . . . she'd been the last person he thought he'd ever see again.

Katherine – his Katerina – showed up on their doorstep a mere year after the fiasco surrounding Hope's birth. The five-hundred-year-old doppelganger was human, spinning tales of being thrown out of hell. She told them that her doppelganger Elena shoved the cure for vampirism down her throat and after the ancient immortal traveler Silas drained that cure out of her blood, she aged rapidly and it killed her. During that time she'd been reunited with the daughter who'd been taken away from her, a vampire who'd been searching for her for five hundred years. After a brief stint stealing Elena's body, Katherine was finally killed by Stefan. She found herself in what she called hell . . . and then suddenly she was back to this plane of existence. She told them she awoke on the outskirts of New Orleans and found her way to them.

Why Klaus hadn't killed her on the spot, he still didn't understand to this day. Though it didn't hurt that the hybrid found everlasting amusement in the fact that not even hell wanted the infuriating, wretched woman. Even Elijah himself pushed her away at first. The pain of losing Hayley was too fresh, too sore a wound. He didn't want to trust or believe Katherine – for letting her in once before had caused enough hurt and he'd had his fill of that.

Despite his reluctance to trust her, he couldn't very well allow anything to happen to her. In her human state she was fragile – though still manipulative, cunning, and resourceful – especially in a town filled with a plethora of supernatural beings who wouldn't mind getting their hands on a doppelganger (to kill, sacrifice, eat, or otherwise.).

Over time, however, she managed to worm her way back into his heart. They found, too, that they were both different people than the ones they used to be. She helped him mourn and move on from Hayley and he helped her mourn the loss of the daughter she'd only briefly been reunited with before both their deaths. Even with all the danger and drama of the past two years, they were stronger than ever. Not that they didn't still have their issues – she wanted to find a way to be a vampire again and he wanted to preserve her humanity if only to make up for the life his family took away from her all those centuries ago.

The tirade continued downstairs as they simply enjoyed each other's company. Moments of the kind were few and far between. While Dahlia was a constant presence in their minds, she often kept to herself.

Elijah and Klaus had been secretly trying to find a way to break from Dahlia's control but in so far they'd been unsuccessful. The witch was just too powerful. Davina, Kol, and Vincent were no match for her and Freya – the only one who could possibly match her – was missing. With Rebekah and Hope's arrival imminent, they had to find a way to protect Hope from Dahlia's control and free themselves besides.

"We'll all survive this." Katherine assured him, turning to wrap her arms around him and burrow her face in his chest. "I know we will. I am the Queen of surviving, after all."

Elijah smiled, though fear was enveloping his very being. "That you are, my Katerina."

The battle ahead was going to be brutal on all of them, but they would endure.

To Be Continued . . .


	7. Chapter 6: Come Right Back To You

**Chapter Six: Come Right Back To You**

Author's note: I know it's been so long since I've updated, well, anything but here's a short chapter I've been working on from Hayley's perspective. The chapter title comes from a great Klaus/Hayley song called "Nitesky" by Robot Koch. I first heard it in a Klaus/Hayley video, actually, and loved it right away. If you want to check out the video I've put a link up on my profile. So, have a good week and let me know what you think. :-)

In the end, Hayley wasn't as convinced as Rebekah or Hope for that matter that all this "NOLA warzone" thing was what Jackson's grandmother or this so-called long-lost Mikaelson sister was saying it was. She trusted Jack and she was inclined to trust Marcel, Josh, and Cami . . . but something about this was just . . . off . . .

Ever since she'd returned to New Orleans, she'd had this feeling in the pit of her gut – the city she'd left definitely was not as she'd left it. Not that she'd left it on very good terms – the town was on the verge of being taken over by a merging of Guerrera wolves and the witches – but this, now . . .

It was off . . . and she didn't know how to explain it or handle it.

She had her little girl back – Hope was alive. Her daughter was here, in her presence where she wouldn't ever let go of her again. Even if Hayley herself was not a witch of any kind, she could still feel the magic radiating off of Hope.

From what Rebekah had told her, Hope seemed to be able to sense things or read things that the others around her couldn't. Hope hadn't shown anything but contentment since Hayley had awoken, before that even. Hope reveled in the attention from every one of the beings in that small cottage. The small girl had never met any of them and yet she was at ease with every single one of them. Hayley herself only knew a few of them. Hope seemed to trust them . . . but Hayley didn't know the limits of her daughter's powers.

She was just a child, after all.

Even now, as she watched Hope play in the corner with Freya, every instinct within her told her to pick up her daughter and run.

She felt a hand on her shoulder (though she'd heard him walk up to her even before) and turned to find Jackson sitting down on the chair beside her.

"You know if you think too much, your ears'll fall off." He smirked.

She rolled her eyes, chuckling. "Am I that obvious?"

He shrugged, patting some dirt off the knee of his jeans. "You've got the whole 'momma bear' vibe coming off you right now." She let out a breath. "You can trust Freya. In fact, you can trust everyone here."

"It's not that easy, Jack." She told him.

"I know." He nodded. "Just give it time. Things around here are so much different than they were."

"Obviously." She looked around. Vincent and Aiden were in the kitchen cutting up vegetables for a stew. Cami and Mary were going over maps and blueprints, several of what Hayley recognized as the dark objects her uncle left her scattered on the table. Marcel, Rebekah, and Josh stood guard outside in the trees, hidden from plain site but with her enhanced senses she knew they were out there. Never did she think she'd see so many different supernatural species co-existing like this.

"I was lost, for a long time, when I found out what happened to you – to your daughter." Jack cleared his throat. Hayley looked down, remembering the last time she'd seen him. "It nearly killed me, learning what Oliver did – betraying our pack, selling us out to Francesca and her goons. And now, most of our pack is either dead, missing, or working for that witch. Freya and Cami found me and we found my grandmother hiding out in the bayou with Aiden. We took shelter out here and started mobilizing, trying to figure out what to do and how to get the rest of our friends and family back. Along the way, Marcel and Josh managed to get out of there and brought Vincent with them. Since then, we've been here. That was about a year ago."

"And this Dahlia hasn't found you guys yet?" Hayley inquired.

"Between Freya and Vincent, they keep the place cloaked. We all take turns keeping watch." Jackson told her. "We've made a few trips into town, tried to gather other people . . . but Dahlia's reach is just too far."

"If this witch kidnapped Freya as a child, how do you know she isn't working with her?" Hayley said.

"That isn't my story to tell . . . but I'll just say that Freya knows Dahlia's torture all too well. She survived her a thousand years, and it's made her all the stronger." Jackson glanced over at the witch playing on the floor with Hayley's daughter. Hayley turned her head, looking from Jackson to Freya and back.

She leaned in closer to him, subconsciously sniffing the air. She tensed, her back straightening. "And how long have you been sleeping with her . . ." She lowered her voice, a slight growl in the back of her throat.

Jackson also tensed. "Whoa. Hey . . . it's nothing like that." He held out his hand.

"How do I know she doesn't have all of you under her thrall, keeping you exactly where Dahlia can find you . . . find Hope." The muscles in Hayley's jaw flexed, the rest of her body on alert.

"Hayley, calm down." Jackson held up his hands, submitting himself to her. "It's nothing like that. Just let me explain." Hayley paused, just staring at him . . . ready to grab Hope and disappear with hybrid-enhanced speed at a moment's notice. "Yes . . . Freya and I are involved." He reached into the collar of his shirt and pulled out a chain, a ring sliding across his hand.

Hayley looked over to Freya, noticing a chain also around her neck, barely visible through the blouse she wore. She relaxed a bit – but not much. "You're married . . ."

"Yeah." Jackson nodded. He let out a breath, glancing over to Freya who smiled at him. He smiled back and then turned back to Hayley. "I told you – things are different. We are in this just as much as you are – all of us. Dahlia's got all of New Orleans under her thumb – it's only a matter of time before she decides to expand her roots."

"Yeah . . . and she's got Klaus and Elijah to do her dirty work." Hayley sighed. She could only imagine how much it was killing them – thousand-year-old powerful vampires and they were stuck under the control of a witch.

She remembered briefly those last moments before the witches has slit her throat. She remembered the look of terror on his face as Klaus was held against that wall and forced to watch as the witches killed her and took their child. She'd never before seen him so afraid, so tortured and helpless. And yet even with all the terror, the pure joy and elation she'd seen in him upon seeing their daughter for the first time still haunted her to this day.

There'd been many a moment in the nine months she'd spent living with the Mikaelson's that she honestly questioned whether or not a beast like Klaus could love someone – let alone his own child. Could this hybrid whose body count was higher than Hitler's let a tiny, innocent child into his heart where no one else, even arguably his siblings, had lay claim before?

In those last moments before her death, she'd been scared out of her mind – but not for her sake. No, she'd been afraid for her daughter. Literally surrounded by enemies in her first moments of life, she'd been scared for her daughter because on some level Hayley knew that she wouldn't be there for her. And when she locked eyes with Klaus, seen that joy on his face, it had given her peace. She'd known in that very moment that this man – this hybrid – who'd only known death and torment and suffering (not only on others by his own hands but inflicted on him as well by people who were his own family) truly loved his daughter. She knew in her final moments that where she would fail to protect their daughter, he would always honor his word that she was kept safe.

When she'd come back and heard him tell Cami that she and the baby were dead, she'd heard the anguish in his voice. Now she knew it had been a ruse and he'd known that Hope was alive but still . . .

He truly had kept their daughter safe. He knew that she'd be in danger in New Orleans with him so he'd given her to the one person who could protect her on the run – Rebekah.

He honestly and truly loved his daughter, completely and unconditionally, and now he was away from her while living under the control of the one who now threatened Hope's very life.

"Hayley?"

She blinked, coming back to the moment in front of her even as she could still feel the cold hard steal of the young Harvest witch's blade slice her neck. She sincerely hoped that little bitch was dead – or else she'd see to it herself that would be soon.

Jackson had his hand on her shoulder. "Hey, you okay?"

She cleared her throat, shrugging his hand off of her. "I'm fine."

"Mumma . . ."

The tiny voice drew her in, a little hand tugging on the fabric of her jeans and resting her elbows on Hayley's knees. She looked down to see Hope at her feet, staring up at her and holding her stuffed wolf toy.

"It would seem she's in need of some mother/daughter time." Freya stood from where she'd sat on the floor, coming up to stand behind Jackson. "We'll give you two some time." Jackson nodded, rising to his feet and entwining his hand with his wife's.

Hayley focused her attention on Hope as Freya and Jackson left the room. "Hey, baby girl." She picked Hope up and set her on her lap.

"Why Mummy sad?" Hope bit on her bottom lip, holding out her little hand to touch a tear that fell down her mother's face.

Hayley pushed a strand of hair out of Hope's eyes, letting out a breath. "Mommy's just thinking about things, nothing for you to worry about."

"You want my wolfy? It make me feel better." Hope asked her, holding up the toy.

"All I need is you, you'll be my little wolf." Hayley wrapped her arms around the girl, kissing her forehead.

Hope giggled. "That what daddy call me."

Hayley smiled. "Oh really?"

Hope nodded. "I only see him once, but I 'member. He call me 'littlest wolf'."

"Well . . ." Hayley leaned back in the chair she was sitting in. "You want to hear something cool?" Hope nodded. "Your daddy used to call me "little wolf" when you were in my tummy." Hope's eyes widened. "That's right. He and I . . ." She paused, trying to figure out the best way to explain this to a three-year-old who knew nothing of the supernatural. "Your dad and I both liked wolves."

Hope turned her head to the side, leaning on Hayley's arm. "Me miss Daddy."

Hayley let out a breath, feeling her heart melt even more for the little girl in her arms. How was it that Hope could voice what she herself had just been thinking about? Oh yeah, she was part witch . . . Hayley smiled, holding Hope close. "Me too, little wolf. Me too."

To be continued . . .


	8. Chapter 7: Fury Closing In

Chapter 7: Fury Closing In

Note: Apologies for lack of muse's inspiration, I haven't been in the mood for writing much lately. Not sure where this chapter came from – I had some of it done but I've been stuck for months (on most of my fics still but eh.). Anyways . . . chapter title comes from Ruelle's "Madness", an interesting song I've discovered recently.

The weeks since Rebekah was supposed to arrive with Hope were growing long and Dahlia's patience grew thin. Tension around the Mikaelson Compound grew. Two months passed and not a word from their sister nor had any sightings of her or Hope had been found in or around New Orleans. Kol's magic couldn't find them. Davina's magic couldn't find them. The other witches of New Orleans couldn't find them. The werewolves couldn't track them. The police couldn't find them. The vampires weren't of any use either. Not even Dahlia could find any trace of them.

It was as if Rebekah and Hope had completely disappeared off the face of the Earth.

Dahlia continued to keep her appearances in public scarce, only appearing before her "inner circle" which consisted of Klaus, Elijah, Kol, and Davina. When she went back into hiding, as she had for a while now, she would utilize the link she'd created between herself and Klaus – channeling his immortality into power and using the link to keep an eye on her "kingdom" through the hybrid.

The three brothers, Davina, and Katherine had recently begun meeting in secret when Dahlia was otherwise occupied in order to devise a way to free themselves and search for their missing friends and family members. They always spoke in code, careful not to reveal their intentions to Dahlia or others who would betray them. Truthfully, Klaus's hesitance to trust Davina, Katherine, or Kol was constant but he knew they were needed if they wanted to break free from Dahlia and search for Hope, Rebekah, and the others.

Klaus had never been known to be patient and he was even less so now that his daughter and sister were nowhere to be found.

They'd spent _years_ keeping Hope's existence and Rebekah's whereabouts a secret. Only Klaus and Elijah had known where they were or that the newest Mikaelson heir was alive. Not even Marcel or Camille had known.

Much to Klaus's humiliation, it hadn't taken long for Dahlia to find out his daughter was alive – apparently she'd been able to sense the magic in Hope – nor to expose the secret that Rebekah was the one they'd entrusted her to.

It had been painful enough to have only met his daughter twice in her short life – for the short day after her birth and then for a few short hours when she was six months old – and now he didn't know if he'd ever see her again.

If at all, if Dahlia didn't kill her first.

He winced at the horrid thought of losing his only daughter, now, as he clutched the soft satin blanket he'd wrapped her in that first day with her after rescuing her from the witches. He spent much of his time alone in the nursery she was to be raised in – the room he decorated himself. He constantly tortured himself, rocking in a chair unused, with thoughts of that day and what could have been – and not just with Hope.

The day that Hope had been born, the Mikealson's had lost someone very near and dear to their family. She hadn't been with them long, but Hayley Marshall had become more than just the woman carrying Klaus's child – to all of them, really. To them, she was a Mikaelson – she was family.

Watching the life drain from her as the blood poured down her neck . . . it was one of the darkest and most painful moments of Klaus's long life. It haunted his nightmares frequently, reminding him of his failure to protect her.

Should they defeat Dahlia, save Hope, and bring her back home to them (and they would if it was the last thing he did) he would one day have to confess that failure to his daughter. He would have to explain why the woman who loved her most, who selflessly sacrificed her own life to bring her into this world, wasn't there to see her daughter grow up. He knew the pain of wondering of a parent who wasn't there – he'd spent a thousand years thinking of his true father.

Hope would by no means grow up as alone and unloved as he – she had him, her aunts and uncles, and countless others who loved her without question and would die to protect her – but she would still feel the pain of a lost parent as he had.

And what a parent she lost.

Hayley would have thrived as a mother – loving, doting, kind, strict but fair, understanding. He hadn't known her long but seeing her with Davina, those of her pack, even his own child-like sister . . . there was no doubt she would have been a far better parent than he could ever hope to be.

He thought of Hayley more than he cared to admit – even to himself. He knew he hadn't treated her as she'd deserved. He pushed everyone away, his own siblings included, and Hayley had been no different. He'd seen the way that his brother and she cared about each other and he'd hated it – even if at the time he didn't know why.

It was something that Dahlia reveled in torturing him with.

The link between them allowed her into his memories, his dreams, even his thoughts. It wasn't something he cared to discuss with the others. He was sure they probably knew – how else would Dahlia know things they never talked about anymore? No one ever dared to question him about it either. He was sure they couldn't know everything . . .

. . . if Elijah knew certain things Klaus was sure his elder brother would have attacked him long ago.

Not that Elijah had any room to judge. For a long, long time after Hayley's death, Elijah remained more inside himself than ever before. The elder Mikaelson was far too familiar with losing the woman he loved but this last one left him more broken than ever. It wasn't long, though, after Katerina Petrova had shown up in their lives again that Elijah seemed to be healing in his grief of Hayley Marshall.

If only Klaus could find such peace as his brother.

It was only through Dahlia's internal mental torturing of his past that Klaus had really begun to realize just what the wolf who'd bared his child had truly meant to him. He'd never say it out loud to anyone – especially Elijah. What good would it do anyway?

Hayley was gone. The only peace he could ever find now was in finding, protecting, and raising their daughter.

In three years – longer, if he was being honest – no one had ever sparked an interest in him. One had come close . . . but his heart would never open up to anyone that way again. The woman who he'd deemed as his own personal therapist, someone who'd understood him in a way few did – Camille. He could have probably loved her, maybe even did, but losing Hayley and sending his daughter away for her own safety had wounded him too deeply.

It mattered little, anyway . . . for not only was Camille gone, presumed as dead as the others who were missing, her heart had belonged to another – to the man he'd raised as a son.

When he was at his darkest, in those moments where his hold on reality were weakest, he often imagined what his life could have been.

. . . if Hayley hadn't been taken by Francesca and Genevieve . . . if he'd been able to save her . . . if they could have raised their daughter _together_ here in New Orleans . . . if she could have loved him as he had loved her . . .

But none of that was real. Hayley was dead, Hope was missing, and his dear old long-lost aunt wished to kill his daughter.

He remembered the night Hope was born well. . . the night Hayley was taken from them. After finding Marcel back at the compound with his daughter, Klaus had left his adopted son to mourn his vampires. The Original Hybrid ascended the stairs, softly rocking the bundle in his arms. It had marveled him how much of his little wolf he could see in the newborn's eyes.

Now as he watched the others around the open court of the compound, his loneliness only grew. It was true that misery wreaked through the French Quarter, but many here still had loved ones to hold on to.

Just as Elijah had his doppelganger and Kol had his witch.

NiKlaus, however . . . well . . .

It mattered little, though. Klaus had been alone for most of his life . . . all he needed now was his daughter. They would defeat Dahlia, find their missing friends and family, and protect Hope.

Agitated by the sounds of life and so-called happiness around him, he deposited the blanket back into the unused crib and sulked out of the compound for a walk to clear his head. Maybe find some booze on the way . . .

OGOGOGOGOGOGOGOGOG

"We need to go into the Quarter, see what we're up against. Do a little recon." Hayley paced around the small cottage, cracking her knuckles even as she kept watch over a sleeping Hope across the room. It was late, after all – past midnight – but the child was the only one asleep.

It had been almost two months since Hayley, Rebekah, and Hope came to the cottage. For the most part, the three had fallen into the routine the others had been living with albeit differently having to take care of a toddler too. They all took turns keeping watch, researching, cooking and cleaning, and entertaining Hope. Vincent and Freya switched off holding up the protection spell that surrounded them. Once every two weeks, the adults ventured out in pairs under the cover of night to search for food and supplies.

On this particular night, the group had been throwing ideas back and forth (again), trying to come up with a plan of attack (again). Well, mostly everyone anyway. Hayley hadn't participated much, instead focusing on continuing to memorize everything she could about her daughter. The wolf/vampire hybrid wasn't used to all this deliberating – she'd been the Alpha of her adopted pack for nearly three years. As much as she hadn't trusted them, they followed her lead without question. In return, she'd protected them from vampires, hunters, and other packs.

"That's not really a great idea – the Quarter's not really the safest place right now." Josh shook his head.

All this discussion was agitating her – she was more of the do-first, think about it later type.

"Josh is right – besides, we're heavily outnumbered." Marcel reminded them.

"All the more reason to find my brothers." Rebekah reasoned, sitting on the couch where Hope lay, stroking the young girl's cheek. Hayley nodded in agreement.

The rest of the room, however, wasn't exactly on the same side.

"My spell protecting us here won't hold if we're not all together." Freya told them, her hand entwining with Jackson's where the two of them stood near the kitchen table. "I've been working on a way to break my aunt's control on more people but I don't have the strength to break her hold and protect all of us here. Even with Vincent and I working together, I don't think it would be enough. Dahlia's stronger than any witch I've ever come up against." Vincent nodded his agreement with Freya.

"I don't need protecting, I can take care of myself." Hayley insisted. "Take me out of the spell." Freya let out a frustrated breath, shaking her head.

"Yeah, me too." Rebekah agreed.

"Girls, we should all stick together. Strength in numbers and all that." Mary said.

"Screw that, I need to save my brothers." Rebekah huffed. Hayley and Rebekah both moved toward the door, ready to leave.

"We can't just mount an attack half-cocked – we need to stop and think about this. Make a plan." Camille called after them.

"The city's under Dahlia's control. The minute you step outside of Freya's spell and outside the bayou, she'll know you're here." Jackson's deep voice vibrated in the small cottage. "Hayley, no one even knows you're still alive. If you expose yourself, you could put Hope in more danger."

The brunette wolf paused, pivoting her head back to watch the rise and fall of her daughter's breath as she slept. She let out a sigh, closing her eyes for a moment. When she opened them again, she tensed and clenched her fists. "Finding the Mikaelsons and getting rid of this witch bitch will get Hope and everyone else out of danger. Until then, she'll be safe here. Rebekah, let's go."

"Gladly." The blonde followed Hayley out of the cabin – both of them completely missing the pointed look that Freya gave Jackson and then Vincent. The two of them used their enhanced speed to race away from the cabin. They could feel the moment they stepped outside of Freya's protection spell even though neither of them had any magic of their own.

As they crossed into the urban part of New Orleans, they expected to be attacked right away. They kept themselves off the main streets and out of sight, but neither could sense any threat – other than the cold dread that permeated the air they suspected to be Dahlia's thrall.

They were halfway to the French Quarter before they even encountered any living or undead soul. It was a younger couple, arm in arm, out for a stroll on what was actually – weather wise, anyway – a fairly nice night. The couple was human, and neither woman recognized them.

Either the humans had no clue of the supernatural or they were just really stupid to be out so late.

Hayley and Rebekah avoided coming into contact with them, continuing on their way.

"Stupid humans . . ." The elder of the two breathed, her accent thick with annoyance. Hayley smirked, rolling her eyes in agreement.

The rest of the way toward the compound was uneventful – a few vampires out feeding, some drunk humans stumbling out of a bar, a young mother bouncing a fussy baby high on a balcony . . . but nothing even resembling the warzone Hayley and Rebekah had been expecting.

But then Hayley picked up on a feeling inside . . . she couldn't explain it, but it was there. Or rather, she picked up on a scent and the scent triggered a feeling inside of her. She turned to look at Rebekah as they stalked the streets, but the blonde didn't seem to notice anything. The scent grew stronger as they moved forward . . . "Rebekah . . ."

"Bloody hell! It's my brother!" Rebekah shouted/whispered, pointing a few blocks down.

Klaus Mikaelson staggered haphazardly down the Quarter sidewalks, an almost empty bottle of something the women could vaguely smell to be bourbon in his hand. He was mumbling to himself, in his own little world. The Original Hybrid didn't seem to notice them – though that could be because he was heavily intoxicated.

Rebekah and Hayley froze, watching him from a distance. They knew that however drunk, if they made too much noise Klaus would see and hear them.

"He's bloody sloshed . . ." Rebekah mouthed.

Hayley was still having a hard time believing what she was seeing was real. The last time she'd had eyes on Klaus Mikaelson, he'd been magically pinned to a wall and screaming threats at the witches who threatened their daughter and her. She'd thought of him often in the years since, of them raising their daughter together, what it could have been like.

But . . . she'd known it was him in front of them even before he turned the corner and Rebekah had pointed it out, hadn't she? Not that she understood how or why. It was similar to how she'd been able to sense Hope and yet different all at the same time . . .

As he got closer to them, Hayley could hear some of what he was muttering to himself.

". . . bloody done with this! Aaghh! Get out of my head woman!"

Was he talking about Dahlia?

". . . will find my daughter, but you'll never go near her! I'll rip you apart before I let you touch her!" Klaus slurred, downing another drink. "That's right, slither into whatever bloody hole you came from and keep out of my sodding _head_!"

The two women watched as Klaus's legs bent and he plopped down to the ground with a thud. It didn't phase the Hybrid, though, as he tipped the bottle and chugged.

He was quiet for a moment, lost in thought and staring at the ground. The bottle lay on the ground against his thigh, practically empty at this point.

"He's so lost, so broken . . ." Rebekah breathed.

"Hope, sweetheart, wherever you are . . . I will find you . . ." Klaus rambled on, no longer talking to Dahlia, just his inner demons. "I've failed so many others, even my own siblings, but not you – never you my littlest wolf."

Hayley let out a breath. Hope had said her father called her that but actually hearing it edged at something within Hayley.

"I failed your mother, too . . . and I'll never be able to forgive myself . . . but I swear I'll find you and protect you . . ."

Hayley flinched as her heart twinged, her foot crunching something on the ground. Rebekah tensed, Hayley froze again – Klaus looked up.

He was staring right at them.

To Be Continued . . .


End file.
